


caught in the middle

by luvloic



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anal Sex, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi, Oral Sex, Overstimulation, Polyamory, Threesome - M/M/M, insinuations of anxiety, slight angst, slight insinuations of depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:40:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26675305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luvloic/pseuds/luvloic
Summary: Jongdae is twenty six and has almost given up on love when he finds it in... the grocery store?Written for ShallWeChenFest Round One
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongdae | Chen, Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Junmyeon | Suho, Byun Baekhyun/Kim Junmyeon | Suho, Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Junmyeon | Suho
Comments: 10
Kudos: 116
Collections: Shall we Chen? Fictional Fest First Round





	caught in the middle

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt code: #SWC336  
> Prompt: Jongdae has been waiting for his mate all his life, but his mate(s) are not really what he expected.
> 
> hi friends! i'm quite proud of this. i've worked hard and i hope you thoroughly enjoy. thank you sooso much to the mods for bearing with me, and past me for kickstarting this so early in the game. 
> 
> much love!

Jongdae has already decided he's content being alone when his twenty-sixth birthday rolls around.

It’s a good birthday with a small gathering of some of his old college friends and current coworkers. His best friends came of course, Chanyeol bringing a small, adorable cake, and Minseok gifting him some stationary he had his eye on. They all went out to eat together and celebrate him, they went to karaoke to have fun, they all even came back to share drinks with him in his small apartment, but Jongdae just couldn’t shake the fact that he was another year older and he  _ still  _ didn’t have his soulmate. 

In retrospect, every important event in his life had already happened: his first college acceptance letter came in the mail disclosing the full ride he had worked so hard for, his high school and college graduations came with his parents smiling proudly in the crowd, and of course, getting his dream job meant he finally had a foreseeable future. 

But he didn’t have a future with some _ one. _

The reality of his situation- him sitting around waiting for his soulmate of all things- well, it seemed a bit ridiculous when he was thinking about it in his bed late one night.

He’d been told that mates were this mystical force to be reckoned with, a magic of sorts that had a fate of its own determined in the stars. He remembered his mother telling him stories of when she met her mate, an woman almost twelve years older than her, and the love that filled her almost instantaneously. Apparently, it was this wholly encompassing feeling, an all-consuming emotion that swept one off their feet. But when he questioned her about the specifics, she just smiled warmly before saying, "You just know _ , _ dear." 

As a kid, it seemed like the only option for true happiness. It had to be true, right? The idea of being someone's knight in shining armor and saving them from a fire breathing dragon was his everything. Someone was going to need him, and want him and take care of him. Or even better,  _ his own  _ knight and shining armor coming and sweeping  _ him  _ off his feet. Someone could be there, made just for him.

But dreams seemed to be just that. Dreams.

What made it worse was that his closest friends had already met their mates through school or work or whatever else.

Chanyeol, their head IT resource manager, met Kyungsoo, one of their staff accountants, when he needed some technological troubleshooting. Yixing and Minseok both met when they started the  _ same _ day in HR a few years ago. Even Sehun, his newest coworker and friend, already had a mate he met at a studio outside of work (some really tense guy named Zitao, apparently) when he got his internship last month. He hears cashiers at the grocery, baristas,  _ librarians _ talk about their mates waiting for them at home. Literally everyone’s got somebody but him.

What he’s trying to say is that he's pretty hopeless at this point. 

He doesn’t have any super close friends who really understand his struggle since they all found their mates relatively young, so everytime he talks about it, they just tell him to find another person who’s mateless. But that’s terrifying for a whole other reason: what if his newfound mateless person finds their mate and just leave him in the  _ dirt?  _ What if Jongdae gets involved and then finds his mate while still in a relationship? Is he supposed to just leave? Those thoughts alone were enough to scare him away from clubs and dating apps all the same.

With that being said, that leaves him alone in everything. As lovely as it is being successful, independent, and financially responsible enough to be able to live alone and support himself, he’s sinking. Jongdae’s struggling to swim in a world where his every thought is his alone. He meal preps dinner in large portions for himself over the week. He crawls into his bed alone at night. He brushes his teeth and drinks his water and can’t help the tears that work their way down his cheeks, because that’s just how life is sometimes. He has no thing, person, or hobby to fill his time. He goes to work and basks in the lull numbers on the screen carries. He comes home and reads until it’s time to eat, and then it’s off to bed. 

So it’s a different kind of pain knowing there’s someone out there who’s supposed to be with him, who’s likely spending their time, having a hobby, building a thing with someone else. And it makes it unexplainably worse.

And his friends couldn’t relate anymore, instead leaving him solo in most of his adventures.

Like walking to the grocery store. It’s a little cold outside, but the walk is short. The cement is hard under his sneakers and the wool of his scarf scratches at his cheeks, so he sighs in relief when he walks through the store’s sliding doors. A gust of warm air hits his face from the heater above the door, and he grabs a cart to begin making his way around the store. It’s almost empty, he notices as he strolls, and his footsteps tap quietly along in amidst the humming of the coolers and refrigerators. 

It’s when he’s walking past the cereal aisle (of all the places) that he sees two men fighting with each other. 

A smile finds his lips. His chest fills with a comforting weight, one that settles in his lungs like the warmth that comes with a well made blanket, and he can’t drag his eyes away from the duo screaming at one another. One with smoothed back comma hair gracing the top of his head was laughing as the shorter leapt in front of him, a hand on his chest as he jumped for a box. 

“Kim Junmyeon, you better hand that over right this minute!” He who has silver hair, the one yelling, shouts. 

“Baekhyun, you told me not to let you get this cereal anymore! Stop-” He puts his hand on this so-called Baekhyun’s forehead and pushes him away until, “Ow! Did you really just  _ bite  _ me?”

Jongdae’s eyes widen as Baekhyun  _ growls _ at the man holding the box, a small little puppy growl that makes his heart melt a little. So cute. 

“Don’t growl at me! You literally told me last week that you wanted me to stop you from buying this cereal anymore!” Junmyeon’s holding his hands up in defense as Baekhyun reaches forward and snags the box from his grasp. 

“That was before I ran out of cereal!” Baekhyun insists.

“No, you said you wanted less carbs!” Junmyeon says with furrowed brows.

Baekhyun places a finger over Junmyeon’s lips as he slides the box in the cart. “Shhh, no one asked.” 

He pauses and watches them until the black haired one’s eyes flick up at him, and the gentle smile on his face widens. Jongdae panics. 

_ What is he supposed to do?  _ He doesn’t know, so he turns and pushes his grocery cart away as fast as his grocery cart would let him.

To his  _ absolute  _ surprise, they don’t follow him. 

He goes about his business, grabbing bread and several other items before strolling down the meat aisle and looking at marbled ribeye when he hears the two whispering as they turn down his way. 

And what does he do? He hides behind a sign.

“Did you feel it, though?” Junmyeon whispers, looking at Baekhyun as they walk down the aisle, stopping to examine the ground meats in the front. 

“The weight?” Baekhyun says and Jongdae’s eyebrows shoot up. The chest  _ weight _ ? Baekhyun stands still, pondering the value of price per ounce. “Do you think ground chicken is made the same way as ground pork?”

“You mean by… grinding their meat?” Junmyeon sighs, massaging his forehead with a thumb and forefinger. “Don’t change the subject, Baekhyun. The fact that you knew what I was talking about means you’re thinking what I’m thinking.”

“Does it? Junmyeon I think you’re forgetting that  _ I’m  _ already your boyfriend.” Baekhyun says, and then Jongdae hears him drop the meat into their cart. “ _ And  _ your mate.”

_ Oh _ . 

“But the fact that we  _ both  _ felt it means he’s a mate to the both of us, right?” Junmyeon asks, trying to look at Baekhyun’s face as he looks at the ground, thinking. “You’ve heard of it before, have you not? Sometimes more are just meant to be, right?”

Jongdae catches himself from gasping, a hand smacking over his mouth. He gets  _ two? _

“I don’t know.” Baekhyun says. 

Baekhyun looks up at him, and sighs. “I really don’t, babe. But if you think you’re ready to try, you’re welcome to ask him.” 

Jongdae’s still crouching behind the sign, eavesdropping on their whole conversation when the weight returns, comfortably filling his chest.

“Baekhyun, we have to both be willing to try if he’s  _ our _ mate. I’m secure in our relationship, I really am.” Junmyeon says. “Despite that, I think we’d be passing up an opportunity if we just let him go. The stars are never wrong.” 

“Are we seriously having this conversation in the grocery store, Junmyeon?” Baekhyun sounds impatient and irritated. “I mean, of al-”

Junmyeon’s voice cuts in soft and sweet. Pure honey. “If you’re not okay with it, it’s okay to tell me no Baekhyun.”

“I swear it’s fine with me Junmyeon, I realize it’s an opportunity. I know the stars aren’t really ever wrong. Hell, he’s fucking gorgeous.” Baekhyun pauses, and Jongdae blushes from his hiding spot. He sounds like he’s trying to find the right words. At last comes a whisper. “But I can’t just forfeit what we have… what we’ve built  _ together _ in a second. I just… I really, really can’t lose you.” His voice sounds wobbly.

A silence settles in the aisle and Jongdae’s heart is thumping like a drum in his chest.

“I want to try, I swear. It just hard throwing it in the palms of the stars, I guess.” Baekhyun admits, breaking the quiet.

Then comes Junmyeon’s sweet voice again. “I know I probably can’t reassure you or erase your doubts right now, but I  _ promise _ you’ll never lose me, Baek.” He says. Junmyeon holds both of Baekhyun’s hands with his, swaying their arms. “The stars don’t mess up. And I think he can help us. I really do.”

Apparently they decide to start moving down the aisle again without Jongdae’s knowledge, so before he could move he hears footsteps right next to him. Oh no.

“Uh, excuse me?” 

Jongdae looks up and kind eyes are looking down at him. He gulps.

“I think you’re my soulmate.” Junmyeon says, looking him dead in the eye. He holds out a manicured hand. “Need help?”

Jongdae smiles wearily and takes the hand, Junmyeon helping pulling him up. 

“Um. Hello.” Jongdae says. Was he really just caught eavesdropping?

Junmyeon clears his throat and shakes their still entwined hands.

“I should introduce myself, I’m Junmyeon.” He smiles and the weight settles even further in Jongdae’s chest, spreading like fire.

“He also meant to say  _ our  _ soulmate. Hi, I’m Baekhyun.” The smaller smiles at him and Jongdae wants to cry at their beauty. Both of them are most certainly among the most handsome men he’s ever seen. 

Junmyeon’s wearing a royal blue suit, a checkered shirt peaking out from under his navy tie, and polished shoes. Baekhyun nearly matches his finesse with how sleek he looks in a black turtleneck and light wash jeans.  _ Absolutely beautiful. _

And then Jongdae sits in silence just looking at the two of them, eyes switching back and forth. Before realizing they’re both looking at  _ him.  _

Oh. 

“Um. Well, I’m Jongdae. Nice to meet you two.” Jongdae internally winces at how unbelievably awkward he sounds before catching Baekhyun squinting his eyes at him.

“Were you really eavesdropping on us?” Baekhyun accuses. 

Jongdae scratches the back of his neck as a blush finds its way across his cheeks. “Accidentally. I was actually trying to hide. I was sort of hoping you’d turn around and leave.” 

Baekhyun tsks looks skeptical. 

“I swear! I’m twenty-six, so I sort of thought the whole window-for-soulmates thing was closed to me.” Jongdae looks at the floor. He toed his shoes together. “So, I’m sorry for eavesdropping but it wasn’t my intent, I promise.” 

Baekhyun laughs and lightly punches his shoulder. “Pft, I’m just messin with ya, it’s okay Dae. Can I call you that? Or do you prefer your full name?”

He looks at Junmyeon to see a shit eating grin dancing across his lips. 

Perhaps Jongdae was going to be swept off of his feet after all.

\-----

After exchanging contacts and blushing in light of having met  _ two _ loves of his life, he left the grocery the same way he came: alone. On the brightside, he had two new numbers in his phone which he already had messages from. 

He can testify however, that his mother was right in saying that you just “knew.” It’s unpredictable and a little unsettling at first, but once you get the hang of the feeling weighing down your lungs… it’s a little more comforting and a  _ lot _ less like you have progressive asthma. 

He followed the same routine he usually did in unpacking his groceries, making one cup of decaf coffee for the night, and then proceeding to portion out the last of his leftovers from the night before for dinner. 

But from that trip to the grocery store on, little things in his everyday life began to change. 

He stayed up a little later talking to the two men from the store. He made sure he dressed presentably each time he went out just  _ in case _ he ran into them. He asked sneaky little questions in their group chat so that he could learn more about the both of them. He began practicing making their favorite dishes at home so that if they ever decided to come over, he’d have something impressive up his sleeve to show off. 

The texting was just the first of it though. A few days after the whole grocery store incident, Jongdae finds himself in a whole new type of crisis: his first date.

When he got the texts, his eyebrows raised as he began to internally panic. 

They had only met a couple days ago, and all of a sudden out of  _ nowhere _ Baekhyun wanted to go on a date? Tonight?

_ Baekhyun: we should see each other more, ya know, face to face! i don’t like  _

_ getting to know people through a screen :( _

_ Junmyeon: B, we  _ **_just_ ** _ met Jongdae three days ago _

_Junmyeon: Besides, it’s not like you went on a date with me_ _three days after WE_

_ met _

_ Baekhyun: oh, yeah sure, like we even needed to go on a date. we met at a club  _

_ jun, the club  _ **_was_ ** _ the first date _

_ Junmyeon: First of all, this was never clarified. Second of all, you’re not really  _

_ proving your point… if our  _ **_meeting_ ** _ was our first date, then wasn’t  _

_ the grocery store all of ours first date together? _

_ Baekhyun: oh my god, those are completely different things you dick _

Jongdae at last decided to pipe in.

_ Jongdae: i wouldn’t mind going to dinner with you two, i just need some time to  _

_ get ready :)) _

_ Junmyeon: Don’t feel pressured though! We’re just excited to see you again  _

That’s how Jongdae finds himself at a diner down the street, in a booth across from one Junmyeon and one Baekhyun on a Friday night.

He couldn’t help but think that this was exactly how it’s supposed to be.

“So how was your day?” Junmyeon asks after handing their menus to the waitress. 

“Uh, well. Good, I guess. A little long.” Jongdae says, playing with his coffee stirrer. “Someone messed up the books last Tuesday so I had to fix that all over again.” 

“Ah, the joys of accounting.” Baekhyun chuckles under his breath. “Is it always the same person who’s messing them up?”

“We can only assume so since they never are signing off their posts, so it’s just messing with our auditors more than what’s even minimally necessary.” Jongdae explains, sighing.  _ Living the dream _ . “How was your guys’ day?”

The two look at each other and then back at Jongdae. Baekhyun entwines his fingers before bringing them behind his head, stretching out as his back cracks. “Better now. Kids were just screeching all day long because we had early release.” 

Baekhyun and Junmyeon met through their jobs. They both worked at a fancy private school for elementary and middle school students. Junmyeon taught students grades one through four music in a dusty basement, whereas Baekhyun lectured as an English and Korean teacher for grades six and seven. They met when Baekhyun was teaching his first year at their school’s first pep rally, and the rest was history. 

He moans a little when he turns to the side and his back cracks again, a blush creeping onto Jongdae’s face as he stares wide eyed at the table. “Anything in specific on your mind?” 

Jongdae snaps his eyes up and Junmyeon’s watching him, smiling as always. 

He fake coughs into his fist. “Of course not!” 

Junmyeon and Baekhyun just watch as his face colors deeper. 

“Stop it!” Jongdae buries his red face in his hands. “Junmyeon how was  _ your  _ day?” He asks, shaking his head in his hands. Maybe he can just pretend that didn’t happen. 

Junmyeon laughs. “Probably better than both of yours! My classes were mostly cancelled since teachers didn’t want to waste their precious time bringing students down to my room in the basement so I got to just hang around and finish some paperwork.” 

Baekhyun sighs. “I wish, goodness gracious.”

Not to say that Jongdae hadn’t learned a lot about the two over text already, but their choice in diner food said a lot more than mere words in a text. So with this being their first “date,” Jongdae paid careful attention to every detail. 

Baekhyun had decided on two eggs sunny-side up (“There’s less oil if it’s only cooked on one side.” He had said, tapping his forefinger against his temple) and diced potatoes because hash browns were “glorified potato scraps,” or so he called them. He ordered orange juice after asking whether or not it had pulp in it (it didn’t) and last, but not least, a singular chocolate chip pancake. 

“Why only one?” Jongdae asked. 

“Because I have a sweet tooth.” Baekhyun answered simply.

“But why not just order a stack of chocolate chip then, instead of eggs and potatoes and whatnot?” Jongdae asked in wonder. None of those things were sweet. 

“Do you see my figure?” Baekhyun sighed. “Do you think I can just eat stacks of chocolate chip pancakes and still look like  _ this?”  _ He was wearing a sort of loose t-shirt, so when he slid his hands down his waistline and his hands followed the curve of a previously unapparent  _ s-line _ , Jongdae blushed. “My point exactly.” 

Meanwhile, Junmyeon rolled his eyes and whispers behind a hand blocking Baekhyun from seeing his mouth. “He really acts as if he’d lose his figure overnight if he ate a stack of pancakes every now and then.” He murmurs. Jongdae giggles. That’s right.  _ Giggles. _

Baekhyun smacks his shoulder. “Just because you cover your mouth doesn’t mean I can’t still hear you!” Baekhyun turns to Jongdae, looking him dead in the eye. “ _ He,  _ on the other hand, isn’t too careful about what he eats because he’s a gym bunny!” 

“I am  _ not  _ a gym bunny!” 

“Then explain the eight pack Jun. Explain the eight pack.” Baek closes his eyes and folds his arms over his chest. 

“I just-” Baekhyun puts a finger to his mate’s lips, officially shushing him.

“Nope, don’t wanna hear it. The lies and or excuses are not necessary.”

“I don’t even go to the gym that long! I jus-”

“Go? Everyday, for at least an hour and a half?” Baekhyun says, only to look a Jongdae. He puts a finger to his chin thoughtfully, “Hm. Dae, doesn’t this sound like something a  _ gym bunny  _ would do?” 

Junmyeon squawks.

He can only smile.

Maybe Jongdae wasn’t being wined, but he was most  _ certainly _ being dined, and he was loving every second of it. He was blushing and stupid and perhaps already a little too attrached to the two men in front of him who were  _ mated  _ to each  _ other _ , but it didn’t matter. Because he finally had someone, nevertheless two someones. In front of him. The three of them were already their own little cocoon of warmth and familiarity somehow, there for each other. 

And Jongdae can’t help admitting that the warmth was comforting. It was nice to finally have people for his spare time, and to fill the dull minutes that previously lulled in his loneliness. 

Despite the peculiarities of Baekhyun’s order, Junmyeon on the other hand drinks black coffee while ordering a stack of plain pancakes with whipped cream and sausage links. Simple and easy. 

Jongdae loves black coffee. So he was left Jongdae with a question to ask, of course. “Do you usually drink yours black?” 

“Normally I actually drink espresso or Americanos. I like the earthiness and the bitterness.” He said before sipping from his mug again with a grin. 

Baekhyun looks at Junmyeon, making a face before looking at Jongdae. “We have an espresso maker at home and he drinks a shot every morning. Disgusting, right?” He mimicked gagging by pretending to put a finger down his throat. 

“Straight?” Jongdae says, eyebrows raised in surprise.

“No, he loves ‘em curvy.” Baekhyun said, winking at him. 

Cue more blushing.

Junmyeon punched him in the shoulder and then looked at Jongdae. “Yes, straight.”

After eating, they sit there waiting for the return of Jongdae’s card (that they both tried shoving out of the waitress’ view until he insisted that she not listen to them) when Baekhyun looks at him. “So what are we gonna do now?” 

Jongdae blinks. He didn’t plan this far. “Uh, whatever you want to do? I sort of assumed I was going home.” 

“Silly Jongdae, the night is still young! We haven’t had any real fun yet!” Baekhyun says with mirth circling his eyes. He looks down as he lifts his sleeve to check his watch. What qualified as real fun?

Junmyeon rolls his eyes again. “Baekhyun it’s literally,” he lifts the sleeve of his blazer to check the time. “Six forty-seven. No clubs are even open right now.” 

Jongdae awkwardly laughs, “Uh, yeah, I don’t really club anyways.” 

Baekhyun gasps. “What do you mean ‘you don’t club?’  _ Everyone _ clubs!” 

“Not me.” Jongdae says while scratching his neck. 

“Junmyeon, didn’t you say the stars are never wrong?” He looks to the not visible sky, lifting his arms and shaking his hands. “Why would you do this to me?” He says to no one.

Junmyeon makes direct eye contact with Jongdae and mouths  _ drama queen _ , pointing his thumb at Baekhyun. 

“Regardless, since  _ apparently  _ none of the clubs are open yet, what should we do?” Baekhyun looks back at them. “Seriously! We can’t let our first date end at just dinner!” 

Jongdae and Junmyeon just sit in silence, Jongdae pondering what else they could do and Junmyeon watching him do so.

Baekhyun looks between the two of them, leaning in to wave hands over either of their eyes. “Hello? Earth to boyfriends?” 

Junmyeon grins, smacking Baekhyun’s hands away. “Shut up, I’m thinking.” 

“Well you could’ve said that.” Baekhyun says, crossing his arms. 

Jongdae laughs watching the two bicker back and forth, Junmyeon pushing a finger to Baekhyun’s lips, “Shush, your voice is blocking my thinking process.” 

Baekhyun sticks his tongue out, licking him.

“Ew? Don’t  _ lick me!”  _ Junmyeon says before reaching up to flick him.

“That’s not what you said last night.”    
  
“Baekhyun, that wasn’t even a good one.” Junmyeon sighs. 

“Just don’t shush me, or I’ll shush  _ you.”  _ He says, crossing his arms and slumping in the booth.

“Wow, now that’s a threat I haven’t heard before.” Junmyeon says tiredly. “Jongdae what do you think we should do? Do you still wanna hang around with us?” 

“He’s not allowed to dip first!” Baekhyun says, huffing. “We’re just getting to see each other for the  _ real _ first time.”

“Baekhyun, can you shut up for once?” Junmyeon looks at him, sighing. 

Jongdae laughs and pipes in. “I don’t mind what we do. I have nothing else to do tonight.”    
  


“Then it’s settled.” Baekhyun answers, sliding his eyes over Jongdae. 

\-----

If by settled, Baekhyun meant Jongdae still heavily contemplating the situation in his head while sitting in the back of Junmyeon’s car nibbling on his thumb nail and then entering his mates’ apartment, then yes. It was indeed settled.

Honestly, he wasn’t expecting them to just bring him into their  _ home  _ on the first date. And while it was nice to know he was being welcomed, it’s inherently nerve wracking as well. He had been preparing over the past three days for them to come over to  _ his  _ apartment, not the other way around. In fact, his apartment at the moment was so spick and span, so clean that he wouldn’t be embarassed besides maybe a spot on his bathroom mirror or a mug in his sink. 

They all walk up the stairs together, their shoes stomping up the dull red of the carpet covering the steps. Baekhyun chattering away and flinging his hands about, only for Junmyeon to smack him when he says something ridiculous. Before he knows it, he hears the clinking of Junmyeon’s key sliding into the door lock as he processes that he’s really in front of their apartment. It feels like a dream almost, the way only a few days less than a week ago he was still mateless and alone and… stuck. 

Junmyeon immediately rushes around picking up the sweaters and items of clothing randomly strewn on the backs of the arm chairs in front of the television, a stack forming over his arm. “I am  _ so  _ sorry for the mess, but come in!” 

But when he walks into their apartment, it’s a weird balance of haphazardly clean and warmly homey. There’s pictures of his mates together sprinkled across the walls and a beautiful wooden piano in the corner, a TV on the wall and lightly stained and scratched wooden floors flowing into the living room and down a hallway. 

Baekhyun turns around and throws his hands in the air as he walks backward, looking at Jongdae. “Yeah. As they say, welcome to the crib.” 

Junmyeon has already walked down the hall and through a door that Jongdae can only assume lead to their room. He pokes his head out from around the door frame.

“That is  _ not _ what they say, babe.” 

Baekhyun can only roll his eyes. 

“It’s really nice.” Jongdae murmurs, his eyes dancing around the space. Sunset’s light is still breaking through sheer white curtains floating in front of tall thin windows. 

There’s a game consol sitting beneath the TV and the controllers are sitting on the floor, and when Jongdae looks down from his place in front of the door, Baekhyun and Junmyeon’s shoes are already kicked off and in their own little spots under the coat rack. 

Where should he put  _ his  _ shoes? 

Baekhyun walks off down the hallway, hips swaying, just as Junmyeon is walking out, and his hands tug Junmyeon’s sleeve to stop for a moment, palms reaching to hold Junmyeon’s face gently. He leans up and places a kiss on his mouth. 

Just like that, the weight of the situation crashes into Jongdae. These two lovely people were perfectly well off without him. They had just enough space for the two of them, two lovers, a coat rack for two people’s jackets and space beneath for a couple pairs of everyday shoes, a loveseat. All Jongdae sees as he looked around is… space for two.

He leaned down and gently unlaced the cording of his leather shoes before shrugging off his jacket and folding it. He placed his shoes on the opposite side of the door, laying his jacket in a neat square on top of them so that they were small and out of the way.

“Jongdae!” Baekhyun shouts coming back down the hallway, shaking him from his lonesome reverie. “What do you wanna do? I have an Xbox and a PS4 so we can play games!” He says excitedly.

“I didn’t, uh, grow up with either, so I don’t really know the difference.” Jongdae answers quietly, a slight blush rising to his cheeks.

Junmyeon comes down the hallway, his blazer gone with a cardigan over a shirt in its place. “I also have brownie mix.”

Baekhyun and Jongdae turn and just stare at him.

“So we can make brownies?” Junmyeon says. “I feel like these aren’t that hard dots to connect.” 

Baekhyun whines. “You  _ know  _ I’m trying to watch my carbs and yet you  _ insist  _ we make brownies.” He wipes a fake tear while pulling a dramatic face.

“We can just play vid-”

“No, we cannot.” Baekhyun shushes Jongdae. “Junmyeon has already made these dire plans for us to make brownies. Who would I be if not a man of regulation and scheduling? Plans of such importance cannot merely be  _ dismissed! _ ” He says sticking his nose in the air as he walks to the kitchen.

Junmyeon laughs and steps into behind the counter, rolling up his sleeves and washing his hands. He looks to them with a raised eyebrow. 

“I guess we’re just forced to make brownies now.” He smiles, pulling the eggs and the milk from the fridge after preheating the oven.

The evening passes in a blur, Jongdae’s prior feelings of being so intrinsically out of place forgotten for Baekhyun’s near constant chatter. Junmyeon folds the batter together as Baekhyun continually sticks his finger in the mixture (“ _ Someone  _ has to taste it!” He said matter of factly before Junmyeon smacked him over the head) as the different ingredients poured into the bowl.

Baekhyun and Jongdae fall onto the floor next to each other, backs against the couch and controllers in hand. The smell of the brownies fills the apartment and the hours tick by. Jongdae carefully sitting so that there’s plenty of space between Baekhyun’s thigh and his. He has more fun than he’s had in a while, the joy bubbling up in his chest and the weight- that comforting hug of there being people for him- it makes his night only that much better.

It’s a connection he never expected, a welcome . The night time sinks over them and eventually, Junmyeon gets up to flick on lamps and pull the curtains closed. He snaps the brownies into a tupperware before sliding back into his spot behind his boyfriend. He sees Baekhyun reach up to fiddle with Junmyeon’s fingers and can’t help but feel like they have so much more chemistry. They fit together and effortlessly, and Jongdae smiles a little helplessly. 

_ Dreams really are just dreams, aren’t they? _

“Jongdae,” Junmyeon hums. “What’s on your mind, dear?” Arms wrap around Baekhyun from behind, and Junmyeon rests his head in the crook of the his boyfriend’s neck. 

Baekhyun turns his head and kisses Junmyeon’s temple. 

Jongdae feels his eyes get watery and looks down at the rug between his legs, begging the tears to go away. 

“It’s really late.” That’s what he settles on. “I should, uh,” he looks up at the wal clock with a slight smile, willing the wetness in his eyes away. “I should probably get going.”

Junmyeon moves to get up.

“Oh, no! It’s okay, I’m gonna walk.” Jongdae grins.

“Don’t be silly Dae, I’ll drive you.” He sits up.

“No, seriously. I want to walk.” He says a little too harshly. Guilt swims over him. “I’m sorry, I didn- I just need to think.” He says finally. 

Junmyeon looks up at him, his brow slightly furrowed. “It’s already dark out, Jongdae. I really should drive you.” 

“It’s perfectly fine, I promise. I’ll text you when I get to my car, if you want?” Jongdae asks.

Baekhyun nods quietly before getting up and walking over to gently pull him into a hug. And it fills Jongdae with a warmth the spreads over him like wild fire. Absolutely lovely. 

“Thank you for hanging out with us and paying for dinner and making brownies.” Baekhyun murmurs into his shoulder. “You can always stay if you want.” 

Jongdae shakes his head and settles into the embrace. “Thank  _ you _ for the wonderful first real date.”

Baekhyun laughs. “No problem.” 

Then arms are wrapping around Jongdae from behind, caging him between Baekhyun. Junmyeon. 

“I appreciate you coming over too, Jongdae.” He says against Jongdae’s neck, the boy’s ears turning red. “It was really nice getting to know you some more.” 

Jongdae melts under their attention. It was surprisingly pleasant. 

“It was nice getting to know you guys too, Junmyeon.” He says quietly. 

Junmyeon checks his watch. 22:14. Baekhyun’s cradling his neck between gentle hands, and Jongdae feels like the most beautiful piece of art.

Junmyeon looks to Jongdae again from beside them. “Can I please drive you to your car? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you, and I ju-” 

“We’re driving him.” Baekhyun leans in and pecks his cheek before skipping to the counter to grab his keys. “We like you too much already, Jongdae.”

Jongdae laughs and scratches his neck, a blush starting to color his cheeks. “Okay.”

Three is better than one after all.

\-----

The days that followed their date passed like an omnipresent omen. Jongdae went to work and ate his food, he read and watched TV, and most importantly, he dodged answering his texts like the plague.

Time passed like he was wading through molasses. 

He was under the impression that finding a mate would be almost instant love and infatuation, the way the movies and the books show soulmates finding one another. 

But of course, the movies lied.

Instead, Jongdae sat around in confusing longing and self hatred. He didn’t belong anywhere it seemed, a puzzle piece that didn’t have the right edges, or better yet, no spot at all. And still here he was with not one, but two men blowing up his phone asking about his day and his dinner and his coworkers and everything sweet that always made the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile. That is, before he guilt crashed over him.

Baekhyun began messaging him privately first. It started with normal small talk questions of ‘ _ how are u? _ ’ or ‘ _ how was ur day? _ ’ before it grew into reassurance whenever he noticed Jongdae not responding for a certain amount of time or his replies seemed distant. 

One night, as Jongdae sat wallowing on the couch. His eyes drift over the same paragraph again and again, yet he can’t quite grasp its purpose. His gaze finds the wall instead.

The lamp casts a steady shadow of his coffee table along the bottom of the wall, and he gets lost in it. What was he doing? He knows who he wants to be with, and yet he here is. It’s like he’s constantly circling in a never ending battle. They have years together,  _ time  _ to learn all the quirks and little things they love about each other, and an apartment for  _ them _ and a king sized bed for  _ two _ . He’d always be behind, and his sheets still felt so cold at night. 

A knock on the door makes him jump, and it drags him off the couch. He looks at the time.  _ Who’s here at near ten at night? _

Through the peephole stands Baekhyun with a bag of take out in his hands. He yanks the door open. “Baekhyun?”

“Jongdae!” He says with a gentle smile. “Can I come in?”

Jongdae almost fumbles, pulling the door open widely before stepping back. “Of course. You didn’t tex-”

“I did.” Baekhyun murmurs. He steps through the doorway and slips off his shoes. There’s not a ‘place’ for his shoes either… he just leaves them where they are. Jongdae looks down at his hands, fingers automatically going to pick at his nails. “I know you’re avoiding us.”

He gulps, adams apple bobbing. “I-I- Why would I d-do that?” 

“You tell me, Dae.” He drops the brown paper bag on the entry table, and pulls Jongdae close, wrapping his arms around him. “But regardless, I missed you.” 

Someone _ missed  _ him _.  _

It feels selfish to find such relief in the fact that one of his soul mates stood right in front of him. He took time out of his day to come see  _ him,  _ he brought food, and now he was  _ hugging him?  _ It feels like something out of a drama or one of those cheesy teen romance novels the way Baekhyun’s just holding him, but somehow, Jongdae doesn’t find himself minding.

The sharp spice of his cologne soothes Jongdae in the shorter man’s grasp, and he lets go of whatever worry had previously been clinging to him like gum on the bottom of an old sneaker. Instead, Jongdae melts in his grasp, shoulders sagging at the warmth encasing him. 

_ Finally.  _

He’s hesitant in wrapping his arms around Baekhyun’s back in turn, arms reaching around his smaller frame before he rests his head on the shorter man’s shoulders. “You missed me?” He murmurs so quietly Baekhyun almost doesn’t catch it.

“Of course I did.” Baekhyun sighs and rocks them back and forth, not letting him go in favor of just appreciating the boy in his arms again. They’re still in the entry way, swaying and just appreciating seeing one another for the first time in a few weeks. “Contrary to popular belief, you’re quite miss-able.” 

Jongdae laughs and pulls back. “You’re rather miss-able too.”

“Of  _ course _ I am?” Baekhyun scoffs. He punches Jongdae’s shoulder. “But if that’s the case, then you have some explaining to do, mister.”

“I’ve just- I’ve been busy, I guess.” He sighs. Jongdae avoids the topic, his gaze switching to the brown paper bag. “What’d you bring?”

Silence sits between them. When Jongdae flicks his eyes back to Baekhyun, his expression is sad. His eyebrows are raised and his shoulders slumped, and the corners of his mouth are turned down in a small frown. 

“What?” Jongdae looks at his feet, toeing his socks at the wood of the floor. 

“Jongdae…” 

“I’ve been… trying, okay?” He says quietly. 

And he has. No one tells you how hard it is to reply to a text when you see it twenty minutes later, because, though you heard the notification, you knew who it was. No one talks about how texts pile up and stack on top of one another til you have a mountain of things to do and specifically two people who already have one another to talk to. It’s  _ hard  _ and it sits in your stomach while you eat, it follows you to bed, it stands by while you work, read, cook. 

So yeah, he’s been  _ trying _ , and he’s not making excuses, but he sometimes he forgets. He forgets that he’s supposed to be breaking the chain, that he’s someone else now who replies when he hears the tone, that he makes time and space for others, that he’s not  _ alone anymore.  _   
  
He still hasn’t really broken his old habits, though. 

Which is why he stands in front of Baekhyun, looking at the floor in shame and refusing to meet his eyes instead of outwardly cherishing that someone, that  _ this  _ someone,  _ missed  _ him.

Or furthermore, that he missed this someone.

Baekhyun’s features soften as he watches Jongdae fumble. He places a hand on his shoulder, and Jongdae feels a weight lift off of him. “I know.” Baekhyun says lightly. 

He feels tears welling up, relief and embarrassment simultaneously swarming him. What is it like to just effortlessly build relationships and friendships and  _ stability  _ with others. Jongdae looks up at him, willing away the wetness in his eyes. 

“But you have to know that we’re always here for you, alright?” Baekhyun sighs. “We do miss you and care for you.  _ I  _ care for you, and I… I want to be here whenever you need a shoulder to lean on.”

Baekhyun steps forward, a hand tilting Jongdae’s chin to meet their eyes. Jongdae gulps. 

“I-I- Thank you.” Jongdae whispers. “I know it may not seem like I want to be with you guys or, just you know, be around anyone, but I’m just… I’m used to being alone, Baek.”

“And that’s okay!” Baekhyun insists. “It really is. Old habits die hard, babe.” 

_ Babe. _

He was going to have to get used to that one.

Jongdae’s adam’s apple bobs, Baekhyun just holding him there with a world of affection in his eyes and all Jongdae can bring himself to think is  _ oh no.  _

“Now, can I kiss you?” Baekhyun asks softly. “It’s oka-”

Jongdae leans in and meets his lips. Baekhyun’s eyes widen in surprise before fluttering shut, and in that moment, everything was right in the world.

\-----

Several days later, Junmyeon comes to visit, too. 

Their group texts pick up a bit more as the three of them are always texting when they can, and Jongdae almost feels like a teenager again with how often his eyes are glued to the screen, how his ears strain for that little notification bell. Sometimes they even had facetimes or phone calls late into the night where Jongdae could hear them bicker over the line, or could distantly listen to their TV as background noise while he read. 

It was a new normal. Just like that.

The loneliness he had found comfort in prior was a thing of the past. Now the shadows grew in his small apartment with his mates by his side or passing him jokes over the phone. The sweet lull of Junmyeon asking how his day was or Baekhyun  _ screaming _ about a kid who spilled red juice (“And I mean  _ bright  _ red!” He said exasperatedly) on his light tan corduroy pants (“Don’t let me forget that they were  _ brand. Fucking. New.”) _ filled his nights, and his days shifted from revolving around the next book to find its way into his hands to Baekhyun and Junmyeon’s schedules. 

What did  _ they  _ want to do, when did they want go out together next, what would the couple be doing once he finished this chapter (don’t get it twisted, he still loved reading). If he got in the car at 5:48, he could get to their apartment a quarter past six. If he made cookies with almond milk instead, Baekhyun wouldn’t get an upset stomach. If he put the pasta salad in the fridge right when he got home, it’d be perfect for Junmyeon and Baekhyun walked through his front door (“Pasta shouldn’t be in a salad, I don’t care.” Baekhyun huffed when explaining his tastes. “It’s practically carb-mania, and if I’m gonna go ham on the carbs, it will not be with  _ pasta salad _ .”) 

What he’s trying to say is that he’s… changed. He finds himself warmed by the soft sound of Baekhyun’s giggles late at night or Junmyeon’s spontaneous ramblings about anything (because he knows Jongdae enjoys the sound of his voice). He likes how Junmyeon interlocks their fingers when the three of them walk back to the car after dinner. He likes brushing strands of hair out of Baekhyun’s eyes when they’re laying on the living room floor together after playing video games all night. He likes sipping from Junmyeon’s wine glass because he didn’t want a full one to himself. 

He likes being  _ with _ them.

And it’s a welcome change.

Junmyeon came by while Jongdae was at work, catching him almost completely off guard with the way he had just sent the text that he was going on lunch and  _ boom,  _ Myeon was standing in front of him. Nice suit and all. 

“Junmyeon?”

“Jongdae! I brought lunch!” Junmyeon’s all bright smiles and polished leather shoes as he walks through the big glass doors of Jongdae’s building. “I figured I’d stop in and say hello since I have a long break today.”

Jongdae tries to keep the blush from flooding his cheeks. 

“Well, thank you for thinking of me.” He says shyly.

“I would’ve dragged Baekhyun along too, but he has a class right now. Our time tables this year sorta suck.” Junmyeon laughs, and then waves the bag. “But I come bearing Pad Thai.” 

“Mm, my favorite.” 

Junmyeon smiles big. “Oh, I know. Don’t think I haven’t seen the bags in your trash before, mister.”

Seeing as the three of them had somehow gotten through the weird eggshells they were all walking on before, it was rather odd (yet relieving) how carefree they were now. Sometimes it was Junmyeon who came bearing food that they ate at a park bench and sometimes it was Baekhyun striding through his apartment door with a drink holder in one hand and Junmyeon’s in the other. But regardless, with their own growth came changes in the seasons. 

Spring warmed them up with sunshowers and blooming flowers. Junmyeon sometimes rambled about how badly he wanted to start a garden (“It’s just such a shame we have no community gardens around anymore,” he sighed, carding his fingers through Jongdae’s hair, his head sitting in the older’s lap) and started staring longingly at the hydroponics section of Target. Baekhyun sometimes walked in still sweaty from the gym, whining as soreness settled into his bones. 

But Jongdae only fell more in love as the days passed.

It first struck him really hard the night of their three month anniversary. It was a week before Thanksgiving, and he was lounging next to Baekhyun on their bed, watching TV and waiting for Jun to get home, when Baekhyun reached over and entwined their fingers. 

Jongdae looked over at him. His now pastel pink hair was splayed around his head like a halo on the pillow and it brought a little smile to his lips. 

“You know I love you, right?” Baekhyun says suddenly. 

_ Woah.  _

“You-” Jongdae’s eyes widen.  _ “You lo-” _

“Love you, yes. I love you.” Baekhyun says firmly. “I mean I know you heard me all that time ago insisting how hesitant I was to just… open up Myeon and I’s relationship at the drop of a hat, and I know we’ve been moving  _ very  _ slowly, but I do know this feeling that’s been sitting in my chest for a little while now. And it’s love.”    
  
He smiles at him warmly.    
  
“I-” Jongdae didn’t know what to say. Is love that feeling of adoration he feels when he sees Baekhyun’s smile? Or is love the way his heart thrummed when Junmyeon kissed him for the first time, happiness, no,  _ euphoria _ curling around him like a hug? He doesn’t know.    
  
“You don’t have to return it, right now.” Baekhyun says softly. “But I just… I wanted you to know. I care about you a lot, and I  _ love _ you.” He lifts their entwined hands to his lips and kisses the back of Jongdae’s hand. 

And an overwhelming feeling of endearment, of care, of  _ love  _ settles within him at the sight, and he sputters out a wobbly, “I-I love you, too.” 

“Really?” Baekhyun murmurs, eyes big. Jongdae nods. 

“So much.” 

Baekhyun pulls him close and wraps his arms around him, lips sprinkling kisses across his face before they finally land on his mouth. It’s sweet and exactly what Jongdae needed, and he already has his hands in Baekhyun’s hair. A spark turns into a forest fire in a matter of seconds, Baekhyun’s tongue sliding into already open lips, and then Baekhyun’s on top of him, thighs straddling his hips. 

They pull apart gasping, but that doesn’t stop him, Baekhyun already working his way down Jongdae’s neck. It’s hot and comforting and close and  _ needy  _ and Baekhyun’s sucking dark marks into his clavicles, spit slick as he tongues over fresh marks before moving onto the next. 

“B-Baekhyun,” Jongdae groans, and Baekhyun teethes at a nipple, “ _ O-oh  _ my  _ god,  _ babe- wait, what abou-” 

Keys jangle from the other room, and in comes Junmyeon, pushing the door open. “I’m home!” 

Baekhyun perks up. 

“We’re in the bedroom!” He yells.

His mouth falls back to Jongdae’s chest and he moans, hands still buried in pink hair. His head falls against the pillow as he tugs at a bud with his teeth before laving over it with his tongue, and he  _ shivers  _ at the feeling. 

“Ooh,  _ spicy times _ ,” Junmyeon says jokingly as he walks back towards his and Baekhyun’s room, kicking off his shoes and hanging his coat.. He walks through the doorway and sees the two of them laid out. “Oh.”

Baekhyun sits up, thumbs reaching to pinch and play with the swollen nubs of Jongdae’s chest. “C’mere, Jun. Look how  _ pretty  _ he’s being, just for us.” He purrs, smirking down at the boy arching beneath him. 

Junmyeon peels off his blazer, and a Jongdae gulps. He’s never looked so…  _ good.  _

Junmyeon hums, striding to the side of the bed and staring down at the two of them. “What, you were just going to start without me?” He asks, fingers already at the buttons of his waistcoat. “And to think I was thinking about this earlier.”

“In that case, it’s just perfect timing,” Baekhyun replies smugly, pretty hands caressing Jongdae’s sides. 

Jongdae is swirling in a whirlwind of emotions, in awe at the two  _ remarkably  _ handsome men that are just looking down at him. 

“Hey Jun, guess what?” Baekhyun giggles. “Jongdae said he loved me first!” 

Jongdae squawks. “I love  _ both  _ of you!”

“But you told  _ me  _ you loved me first,” Baekhyun preens. He looks at Junmyeon. “He said he loved me more than you.” 

“I did not!” 

“It’s okay, just accept it.” Baekhyun hums, delicate fingers gliding along smooth skin, bunching up his shirt as they go.

“That’s crazy, he told me he loved me the other day.” Junmyeon says, dead serious.

Baekhyun’s head snaps down to Jongdae who gulps. “ _ You didn’t.”  _

“He did.” Junmyeon says snidely. 

“He wouldn’t do that to me.” Baekhyun leans forward and scrapes his teeth down Jongdae’s neck, kissing the red skin that blooms in return. The way they’re talking about him like he’s not even there makes him tremble. “Would he?”

Baekhyun thumbs at hardened nipples, chills raising on his skin under his precious attention. Junmyeon steps forward and pulls Jongdae’s hair from his face with careful fingers. 

Jongdae whines beneath the two of them. He’s never felt so  _ loved,  _ so  _ wanted,  _ both of their eyes on him, both of their attention taking him apart piece by piece. 

“N-No, I love b-both of you,” Jongdae insists. 

“But you can’t have figured that out at the same time, silly boy.” Junmyeon smirks down at him and  _ oh, wow.  _ He looks very,  _ very  _ attractive like that. “So who did you tell first, baby?”

He never even  _ told  _ Junmyeon he loved him, and if he did, he most certainly doesn’t remember it, but Junmyeon just called him  _ baby. _ He’s Junmyeon’s  _ baby _ now? 

“Yeah, baby, who did you tell first?” Baekhyun purrs. Jongdae can feel his lips against his sternum, wet tongue licking along soft skin.    
  
Maybe they should both stop calling him ‘baby’ right this moment because it is most certainly confusing his judgement. Who  _ did _ he tell first? 

“I-I-” Jongdae stutters.

Baekhyun leans in, teeth biting at his earlobe. “Spit it out, baby.” He murmurs. 

Jongdae’s eyes snap the Junmyeon who’s just looking down at him, so domineering, so  _ menacing _ . 

“B-Baekhyun. I told Baekhyun first.” Jongdae stutters breathily.   
  
Baekhyun joins their lips and Jongdae’s eyes flutter shut. It’s heaven. Baekhyun sinks into him and Jongdae melts into the mattress, never feeling so  _ much  _ all at once. He whines and Baekhyun catches it in his open mouth, tongue dancing between them.    
  


Everything was so  _ Baekhyun, _ he tasted faintly of the Indian food they had a few hours ago but it was so  _ good,  _ and Baekhyun was kissing him like Jongdae was giving him oxygen, like he was his life source, and he couldn’t get enough. He could never get enough of Baekhyun.

He moves like honey. He’s slow and languid and  _ everywhere _ , and he reaches up, sinking his fingers through strawberry hair. He’s like everything addictive. Baekhyun groans, whining into his mouth and Jongdae’s never loved a sound more.

Baekhyun breaks first and he’s just looking into Jongdae’s eyes like the world is hidden in them somewhere. 

“Yeah, yeah, we get it, you love Baekhyun more.” Junmyeon teases besides them, and then Baekhyun is pulling him down with them, the three of them mangling on the bed. 

Jongdae’s victim to Baekhyun’s careful, insistent hands one moment and Junmyeon’s kisses the next, and Jongdae loves every second. They meld together, three becoming one in a slightly too small bed, and he can’t help but think that this is all he’s ever wanted.

_ These people are his soulmates. _

Clothes fall to the floor piece by piece and the three of them end up on their knees, Jongdae sandwiched between two warm bodies tangling around him like vines. Junmyeon's already spit slick lips suck dark marks into the spot beneath his ear, his breath hot against his neck.

Baekhyun sinks lower in front of him, lips trailing wet kisses down, down, down, peaking up at Jongdae through his lashes before licking a short stripe up Jongdae's shaft. 

Jongdae whimpers, and Junmyeon wraps his arms around him, pulling him close. "Let us love you." He murmurs.

Baekhyun drops a kiss on his thigh, a hand jerking him to full hardness before he wraps his lips around his length again. His tongue drags along the bottom, and Jongdae rakes in a shaky breath through his teeth. 

Junmyeon loves it. They've never gone this far, so far only a couple quickies in the shower or one time he caught Baekhyun jacking Dae on the couch with his fist over their boyfriend's jeans. But watching Jongdae lose it beneath him... he's stunning. Junmyeon rakes his hands up Jongdae's torso, fingers playing along the piano of his ribs and tracing the line of his sternum as the smaller trembles in his arms. 

Beautiful.

He shudders under Baekhyun who's bobbing his head before sinking to the base, nose in dark curls as he swallows around him. Jongdae cries out, hips bucking, but Junmyeon snaps to hold him down, hands pulling Jongdae's waist back tightly. 

Baekhyun comes off with a smack, a line of spit still trailing between him and Jongdae's dick.

"Is it weird to say that your pre-cum sorta tastes good?" Baekhyun asks curiously. The two just look at him. "You know what, I'm gonna take that as a yes."

"Come just tastes bad in general. Objectively." Junmyeon says, laughing.

"But there's a quality about it that can be missed, right? I'm not crazy?" Baekhyun asks, looking at them. . 

Junmyeon only chuckles, fingers idly playing with Jongdae's nipples. They watch as Baekhyun fumbles through their night stand for lube. 

"Junmyeon, babe, I hate to break it to you, but he tastes better than you." Baekhyun sighs.

Junmyeon looks down at him, eyes squinting. "What's your secret?"

"I don't do anything special." Jongdae shrugs. "I usually home cook food and that's all I eat. But yeah, nothing fancy or weird."

Junmyeon hums. His hand drifts south, smoothing over the faint lines of Jongdae's abdomen until he wraps a hand around his cock. He gasps, chest tightening.

“Then I’ll just have to try myself.” Junmyeon drawls into his ear, his teeth scraping at his neck again. 

“Ah, no, no, no, I don’t think so.” Baekhyun huffs in front of them. He holds up lube slicked fingers. “Do you see what I’m doing? It’s not for you, Mister.” 

Junmyeon rolls his eyes. “Fine, I’ll eat it out of you. Happy?” He asks.

“Very.” Baekhyun sits back on the bed in front of the duo and spreads his legs wide. “Now come here, pretty boy.” 

Junmyeon lets go of Jongdae in favor of him crawling between their lover’s thighs. Baekhyun looks like a fallen angel of sorts, his hair fanning across the pillow and soft plush thighs pale, just waiting to be marked up.    
  
“Baek…” Jongdae groans. 

“Shh, inside baby.” Baekhyun coaxes him along, until he feels Jongdae splitting him open. His eyes roll back briefly before they flutter shut, and Jongdae only sighs at the heat as it encases him. “Mm, that’s it, babe.”

Baekhyun’s arms hook around Jongdae’s neck, nails scratching into his shoulders and legs locking around his waist. His back arches, and Jongdae only sighs in relief, in pleasure at how  _ tight  _ Baekhyun is. 

Baekhyun pulls him close by a hand holding his nape and moans in his ear when he pushes back inside with a bit more force. “Is it good baby? Am I nice and tight for you?” 

“So good, Baek. It’s s-so  _ hot _ .” Jongdae whimpers.

Together they crash. The tidal waves of their bodies slam into one another amdídst sticky sweet kisses and saccharine love blanketing them. Junmyeon watches. He jerks a hand over his length and occasionally slides a hand across a stray thigh or along a bare strip of skin. But mainly, he watches. 

He watches as Baekhyun writhes beneath Jongdae and comes first, white sprays of white sitting between their chests. He watches when Jongdae finally tips over the edge shortly after, and chases relief in fast, short thrusts. And then he fetches a wet towel for them before crawling between Baekhyun’s thighs and spearing him open on his tongue.

Sloppy seconds. 

Jongdae wipes them off prior to collapsing beside them on the bed. Junmyeon licks every trace of semen he can find out with hands holding Baekhyun’s asscheeks open. Baekhyun arches on the bed, whining beneath Junmyeon.

“J-Jun, please.” Baekhyun cries, shaking, hands scrambling for  _ something.  _

“Baek,  _ baby, _ ” Junmyeon murmurs, “You can take it, dear. You’re going to come again for me, aren’t you?” 

“A-Again?” Wide eyes peer at him.

“Yes again.” He leans in close pecking at Baekhyun’s ear. “I still have yet to fill you up, baby.” He whispers. 

“I-I-” Baekhyun trembles. “P-Please, Jun, I-I-”

“What? You need it, Baekkie?” Junmyeon crawls up resting his hips between the smaller’s thighs. “Hm?” 

He only nods beneath him. 

Junmyeon slathers lube on his length before sinking into Baekhyun. He hisses at the heat, at Baekhyun clenching around him, and caresses his lover’s face.    
  
Baekhyun wails as he picks up the pace, his cock dragging on his walls, stretching his rim so  _ fucking  _ well. Junmyeon only grunts as he fucks inside, hips working and abs glistening. 

“J-Jun, I don’t know how long I can last, I-I,” Baekhyun sighs, legs squeezing tight around his boyfriend. 

“Don’t worry about that, babe. Whatever you can give is enough for me, dear.” Junmyeon groans. “You feel so  _ good,  _ fuck:” 

He pulls out and then slams back in one more time, nailing Baekhyun’s prostate right on the head and causing him to scream. Small spurts of white dribble from his cock before it falls to soften on his stomach. He squeezes around Junmyeon, and the taller loves every second. The sound of their skin smacking together fills the room, and Junmyeon only works his hips harder. 

“You did so well for us, Baek.” He moans, thrusts sporadic until Baekhyun spazzes around him, clenching down _hard,_ whining at the overstimulation and grappling at the lifeline of Junmyeon’s shoulders. Junmyeon’s done for.

His hips hitch, and then he’s spilling into Baekhyun too, the smaller pulling him down to mash their mouths together. Junmyeon falls to the bed. 

Jongdae sits happily, swiping a rag over the two beside him. 

Baekhyun looks over at them. “Well that was something.”    
  
“You could say that,” Jongdae murmurs, brushing hair from Baekhyun’s sweaty forehead.

"Mmm, you look better marked up like this," Junmyeon says in his post orgasmic haze, a smile sitting dopily on his lips. He reaches over, a hand sliding across the lean muscle of Jongdae’s bicep. “So pretty.” 

“Oh you stop it.” Jongdae laughs, batting his hand away. “Look at all of  _ you. _ ”

Baekhyun stretches, pulling his hands over his head. “Isn’t it nice? He’s so buff.”   
  
“I’m not  _ buff.” _ _  
  
_

“Tell that to your eight pack.” Baekhyun huffs.

“And your arms.” Jongdae chimes in. 

“Oh you shush.” He whines. “I guess I’ll go start the shower.”

“Nooo, you don’t.” Baekhyun wraps around him. “Jongdae, together we can stop him.”

“And sleep in come? I don’t think so,” Jongdae sits up. 

Then a muscled arm pulls him back down. “Just a few more minutes won’t hurt anybody,” Junmyeon says lightly.

\-----

Their story only got better after that. 

Christmas time came around, and Jongdae couldn’t have been happier. Everything was finally falling into place for him. His December started with receiving a promotion at work which in turn granted him more paid time off and a higher salary. Then, he got to see the winter music show Baekhyun had worked long and hard on with his kids. Jongdae and him sat happily in the audience watching Baekhyun conduct holiday songs while their parents took videos in the crowd, cooing at their little ones. 

One good thing after the next kept wrapping Jongdae up in the cozy arms of the season. All their coffee orders shifted to extra hot chai lattes for the brutal cold greeting them outdoors. Even better, Junmyeon looked  _ supreme  _ in sweaters, and Baekhyun hauled out his stash of turtlenecks.    
  


Jongdae was quite content with these changes.

One evening Junmyeon sat them all down at the table for dinner, gently placing an oven roasted chicken on the placemat in the middle of them.

“I have an announcement to make.” Junmyeon says happily. “Well, actually Jongdae,  _ Baekhyun  _ and I have an announcement to make.”

“Do you have it?” Baekhyun questions leaning back to search Junmyeon over. 

“No, hold on!” He runs to their bedroom and come back holding a small…  _ ringbox?  _ “Ta-da! Here!” He slides it across the table to Jongdae who’s just watching them.

“O-Oh, you didn’t have to, guys-”

“Shut up! You don’t even know what it is yet, you moron.” Baekhyun nags. Jongdae shoulders sag. “Sorry. We just wanted to let you know how much we love you.”

Jongdae’s eyes soften. 

“That too, but what Baekhyun means to say is that, we want you to feel like this is your home too.” Junmyeon says lightly. “Go on, open it.”

Jongdae’s hands are shaky opening the box. 

And it’s a key.

“To our apartment. Our as in all of us, ya know?” Baekhyun says. 

Jongdae trembles, hands shaking as wetness builds in his eyes. He looks up at them, watery eyes and all. “I-I, thank you.”

Junmyeon rushes around the table. “No, no, no crying, don’t cry on us Dae.” 

He wraps his arms around him and Jongdae lets out a wet laugh. 

“T-They’re good tears! Happy tears, I promise.” Jongdae says, tears slipping down his cheeks. 

Baekhyun comes up and wipes the tears away with his thumbs. “Good, only happy tears allowed mister.” 

Jongdae chuckles and the two wrap in in a hug. 

“I worked really hard on that chicken and it’s going to be cold at this rate.” Junmyeon mutters. 

“Jun!” Baekhyun smacks him on the shoulder. “This is an important moment!” 

“I know! But the chicken!” 

“I’m hungry anyways,” comes Jongdae’s wobbly voice between them. 

“Good,” Junmyeon sits them back down and cuts into the meal for three. 

On Christmas day, they woke up to Baekhyun kissing either of them on the cheek, warm under their winter duvet, before Junmyeon crawled out to go make the first pot of coffee. Snow steadily fell outside, covering everything in a thick blanket of white. 

Despite Baekhyun nipping at how leaving the curtains open was only letting heat out, Jongdae argued back how nice the light was. Junmyeon chimed in, “And, not to mention it’s  _ Christmas Day?  _ I think part of the Christmas Rules say that we have to watch the snow fall, sorry Baek.” 

“There’s quite literally no such thing as Christmas Rules. You know some people don’t celebrate Christmas right?” Baekhyun argues.

“Of course I do! But then it changes from Christmas to whatever December holiday is being celebrated.” Junmyeon answers.

“Yeah, ever heard of Kwanza Rules? Hanukkah Rules?” Jongdae asks. 

“You can’t just make up rules to prove your point.” 

“I think if more than one person agrees they’re rules than we’re  _ perfectly  _ within our rights to make up rules to prove our point.” Junmyeon hmphs.

“Fine, no hot chocolate for either of you.” Baekhyun says firmly. The two squawk in protest, but Baekhyun only holds up a hand in dismissal. “I don’t wanna hear it. It’s literally in the Christmas Rules guys.”

The two run to tickle him. 

Opening gifts brought the three of them slouched around the living room that night, Junmyeon watching Baekhyun and Jongdae open his gifts to either from an armchair. Jongdae’s carefully taped up in green paper with small shiny gold stars littering it, a box of sorts hidden beneath, while Baekhyun’s is decked out with a wonderfully large ribbon tied around an even more wonderfully large box in simple red paper. 

“Now, kids, don’t equate size with quality.” Junmyeon jokes. 

Baekhyun raises an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure about that?” 

Jongdae snorts, as his fingers gently pull the paper apart, one piece of tape at a time. “Oh, shut up Baek.”    
  
“I was just joking.” He says lightly, pouting. 

“C’mon slow pokes. Open ‘em already!” Junmyeon insists. 

Baekhyun pulls the ribbon undone and then rips open the paper. He gasps. “A box!? How did you  _ know?”  _

“Jongdae was right, you should shut up.” Junmyeon leans back. “Open the box.” 

Baekhyun huffs and pulls open the big box, sucking in a breath. “Babe…” 

Jongdae leans back to try and see around the lid of the box what’s inside. 

Baekhyun reaches inside and picks it up. It’s a frame bearing sheet music, two old yellowed pages side by side. Across the top reads a bold:  **_Op: 119 I. Andante grave - Moderato animato_ ** . 

His eyes are glassy as they slide over the frame in wonder. “Are these  _ original?”  _ Baekhyun asks in disbelief. 

“Unfortunately no. I couldn’t buy the original seeing as it’s locked away at a museum in Germany right now. But those however,  _ are _ the first written duplicates.” Junmyeon answers timidly. “I know it’s not a lot, but I thought it would mean a lot, especially those pag-” 

Baekhyun gently lays down the box and walks over to the man rambling in the armchair. He kisses him silent. “I love it  _ so _ much.” 

Baekhyun flops back down and looks at Jongdae. “It’s the first sonata I ever cried over. Jun took me to the symphony for our  _ real  _ first date, and this has been my favorite piece since. These, in specific, have been my favorite staff since.”

Junmyeon nods. “But now you.” He gestures to Jongdae.

Jongdae’s almost, dare he say, nervous to open the box when it’s finally sitting bare in his hands. 

“Go on.” Junmyeon says.

Jongdae peels open the box, shaking off the lid, until he’s gasping himself. “Well would ya look at that?” He says in disbelief.

Inside rests an unreleased copy of a novel he’d been waiting  _ years  _ for. It’s a poetry collection from one of his favorite authors he found back in college, yet here it is, in his hands. It must be a solo edition because it’s hand bound and covered, but  _ wow. _

“How did you even get this?” Jongdae asks. 

“A magician never reveals his secrets.” Junmyeon answers and Baekhyun laughs. 

  
“Well thank you.” His thumbs slide across the velvety leather cover. “So much.” 

He can’t even  _ begin  _ to fathom how much he must have spent on this, but for now, he just won’t think about it. But come next Christmas, he’s most certainly going to have to up his game.

Junmyeon opens their presents. Baekhyun gifts him a watch and a matching pair of cufflinks that he had had his eye on for a while now. Jongdae slides a box his way that is stuffed to the brim with a small mix of things: a cookbook for roasts (since Jun loved making them so often), a sweater vest he saw and figured Junmyeon would look rather charming in, a hand grinder for espresso, and then last, but not least, a small little stuffed crochet bunny. Kisses for both of them.

Baekhyun opened his present from Jongdae and laughs. It’s a batch of brownies from his favorite bakery downtown that Jongdae snuck to go get last night, alongside a new light turquoise turtleneck considering he ripped a hole in his favorite one last month and hadn’t found the replacement yet. 

Baekyhun grabs his face and plants a kiss evenly on his mouth. “You two are too good to me.”    
  


Jongdae smiles against his lips. “We just love you a lot.” 

“Fair enough.” Baekhyun flushes slightly.   
  


Lastly, when Jongdae pries open Baekhyun’s gift to him, it’s an aged bottle of his favorite Pinot Noir and... another key.

“What’s this?” Jongdae asks, holding up the key.

Junmyeon sits forward. “Well.”   
  


“So it’s sort of up to you,” Baekhyun starts. “But it can symbolize either a new apartment or a U-Haul so you can move in with us. If you want to, of course. We figured you might want to start somewhere new, but if you want to stay here, that’s totally cool with us too!” 

“And you can think on it of course. We know we gave you a key to this apartment not really all that long ago now, but we just… ya know. Wanted to make you feel as welcome as possible.” Junmyeon says. 

“But don’t feel pressured. Really.” Baekhyun says quietly. “Like, we totally get it if you need some time-”   
  


“Oh, it’s been some time already.” Jongdae cuts him off before booping his nose. “What four or so months now? Almost five?”

“So you want to move in with us?” Baekhyun asks.

“Do you think this place can take three people living in it at once?” Jongdae asks honestly. “I genuinely don’t know.”   
  


“Then we can try. We’ll figure it out either way.” Junmyeon says. 

Turns out they couldn’t. 

Jongdae’s U-Haul was not very packed of the few things he had in his old apartment, but that didn’t mean Junmyeon and Baekhyun had any less  _ stuff _ , so they were just stuck waltzing around a rather largely overstuffed apartment for two weeks before Junmyeon thankfully broke the curse.

“Yeah this isn’t working.” He said, sliding between Jongdae’s old dresser and theirs to get to the door. “We need more space.” 

Baekhyun from the kitchen yelled, “Yay! Apartment hunting!” 

Oddly enough, Baekhyun and Junmyeon weren’t all that sad to leave their old apartment. They had been living there for a few years now, but as Baekhyun liked to say, “Their time together had merely come to a close.” 

“But don’t you have a lot of memories here?” Jongdae asks.

“I mean, sure, but we can make new memories with you.” Jongdae melts. Baekhyun shrugs. “Besides, rent was getting higher anyway. It wasn’t really worth it anymore.”

So when they found an apartment just the perfect size for the three of them, their things mixed and mashed as they moved in. Dresser drawers filling with three different people’s underwear isn’t as problematic as it sounds, and the living room became a home to Junmyeon’s and Jongdae’s old furniture that neither of them wanted to let go of just yet. Spoons held barely noticeable differences and cookware all went under the same stove. 

It was relieving. It was… at long last, home.

Jongdae stood one morning looking out the window as he drank his coffee. Bare muscled arms wrapped around him.

“Isn’t it nice?” Junmyeon murmurs into his neck.

Jongdae hums. 

Baekhyun sleepily stumbles over and wraps his arms around the two of them. “Back to bed.”

Jongdae throws back the rest of his coffee. “Okay.”   
  


And home has never felt so loving. 

**Author's Note:**

> whew! thanks for reading! if you enjoyed, let me know! i'd love to hear your thoughts! kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. have a wonderful day <3


End file.
